Chapter 176: Desire and Tug

Meng Shutang didn't know.

However, given her grasp of Zhou Xingfan's character, her present inability to remember Meng Zhibang is not accidental; it is only because he had once been intent on killing her, and she loved him to the core, being wounded so deeply that she would forget everything.

But that's all speculation; we can only wait for Zhou Xingfan's body and memory to recover, and then ask her to find out.

"Alright, thank you, Doctor Huo."

After Huo Yanchen left, Meng Shutang tended to Zhou Xingfan in the hospital for a while.

Half an hour later, Gu Yunci came to pick her up; she then handed her mother over to the caregiver and left with Gu Yunci.

Getting into the car, Meng Shutang expressed her gratitude to him: "Yunci, thank you. If you hadn't brought Doctor Huo from abroad, my mother might not have awakened so quickly."

Gu Yunci's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes deepened with some emotion, his voice relaxed and magnetic, "So what do you plan... to thank me?"

Meng Shutang's oval face flushed a light pink; she glanced at the driver, Old Zhang, then shyly turned her face toward the window, watching the street scenery whizz by, pretending she hadn't heard.

Gu Yunci saw this, reached out and tugged her.

She turned, seeing him point his finger at her thin lips.

Old Zhang, who happened to glance at the rearview mirror, caught the scene; with a sudden jolt, Meng Shutang's cheek instantly burned hot, and she shook off Gu Yunci, trying to cool herself.

"Stop messing around."

Gu Yunci saw it, gave a faint smile and lowered the front shield.

In the next second, a tall black silhouette swept over; Gu Yunci lifted her from the seat, spread her legs, and made her sit on his lap.

Three years into their marriage, Meng Shutang was initially very shy.

Later, under his training and guidance, she never felt shy about taking the initiative.

But now she is shyer than ever, and Gu Yunci feels it necessary to tempt her.

"Hmm," he said.

Meng Shutang was startled, "What?"

Gu Yunci looked at her, his keen eyes traveling down, lightly passing over her tiny nose tip, landing on her rippling red lips, then rising again, staring straight into her eyes, "Kiss me."

His gaze toward her was so gentle it could drown a person, yet the possessiveness deep in his eyes almost burned her.

Meng Shutang looked at him and only found Gu Yunci childish and cute at that moment.

Regardless of his demeanor or look, at this moment there is a trace of Xin Xin's charm; if he doesn't kiss her or read her a picture book, he won't fall asleep.

The hands of time ticked a few marks in the silence; Meng Shutang's delicate fingers clasped his collar, leaned in slightly, and pressed against him.

Her movements were gentle and soft, with cautious tenderness, she pecked lightly a few times, like stealing a taste of a candy, then hurriedly got up and left, the crimson spreading from her cheek to the base of her ear.

Gu Yunci didn't take the initiative, nor did he stop her when she rose, but he expressed slight dissatisfaction with her half‑heartedness, "Is that all?"

Meng Shutang gave a slight nod, shyly intending to get up and leave.

Gu Yunci clasped her wrist and pulled her into his embrace.

Meng Shutang's soft fingertip accidentally brushed his protruding Adam's apple; the press made the sharp, sensual thyroid cartilage glide over her fingertip, and Gu Yunci's eyes deepened a fraction in that instant.

He thought that after this inadvertent flirtatious gesture, Meng Shutang would kiss him.

She didn't.

Thus, the man pressed his palm against her back, pinning her to his chest, "Tempting me, yet doing nothing—just fishing me?"

Meng Shutang made no sound; she simply reached out to undo his tie, the loosened tie winding around her hand.

Her hand untying the tie occasionally brushed Gu Yunci's neck, unsure whether intentional or not.

She took the tie off and then tied it around Gu Yunci's eyes.

With his sight blocked, Gu Yunci's sense of smell sharpened; he clearly detected the gardenia fragrance on her, faint yet rich, fresh, and pleasant.

Gu Yunci waited for her touch, her kiss, her undressing…

"We've arrived home."

The car came to a halt at Chengxi Bieshu; after saying that, she stepped down from his lap, opened the door, and jumped out.

Gu Yunci, hearing the movement, reached for the tie, turned his head to watch her silhouette as she trotted up the steps like a fleeing kitten.

Gu Yunci pushed the car door open, got out, still holding the tie.

He walked nonchalantly toward the villa, leisurely untying the stubborn knot in the tie, entering, passing through the living room, and climbing the stairs…

Meng Shutang ran into the upstairs bedroom, turned and saw him striding toward her, and immediately reached out to close the door.

Gu Yunci walked over, opened the door, and saw her dash into the adjacent bathroom.

When they were not divorced, they as a couple would play this game; whenever Meng Shutang entered the bathroom, Gu Yunci would stop.

But this time, he didn't; he pushed the bathroom door open and stepped inside in one stride.

The bathroom was empty; he thought he had misread in his daze and was about to turn away when a figure flashed out from behind the door, trying to run out.

Gu Yunci said nothing, only lowered his gaze at her frantic back, encircling her from behind, the tie hanging loosely around his neck, exuding aggression.

Gu Yunci embraced Meng Shutang, kissing her; amid the rain‑like barrage of kisses, Meng Shutang was forcefully pressed against the wall.

"Didn't you say you'd leave me here alone to nap while you went to work?" she panted between kisses.

"I've changed my mind; I want to sleep with you," the man said.

Meng Shutang was momentarily stunned; her hand began to flail, accidentally striking the nearby showerhead, and warm water cascaded down, drenching her.

The warm water ran down her soaked hair tips, wetting her lips, making their color soft, tender, and bright.

The sheer fabric became wet, outlining her soft curves; the steam wrapped her faint body heat, and she seemed like moonlight immersed in water—pure and sensual.

Gu Yunci was no exception; warm water splashed onto him, his shirt soaked through, clinging semi‑transparent to his body, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and hormone‑pumped chest muscles fully exposed.

Water droplets slid down his jaw, his Adam's apple rolling alluringly; his gaze fell heavily on her, carrying a lazy yet highly aggressive wet‑body allure.

The two almost simultaneously halted their kiss, eyelashes wet, looking at each other.

After a brief stare, Gu Yunci stepped into the water curtain, lifted her legs with both hands, and hoisted her off the ground.

He slammed her hard against the wall, his fingertips grazing her soaked thigh, the motion exuding undeniable possession yet restrained in force.

Water mist blurred the vision, leaving only the entanglement of lips and teeth and each other's hurried breaths; heartbeat and water sounds mingled together, in the whole bathroom there remained only an intense, inseparable desire and pulling.

In the bright bathroom, a layer of steam rose; amidst the misty water vapor, she saw on the transparent glass a vague reflection of two intertwined figures.